


Unfinished Business

by Quicksilver_ink



Category: Suikoden III
Genre: Gen, Paperwork, Situational Ethics According To Ace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-24
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-16 23:19:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4643799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quicksilver_ink/pseuds/Quicksilver_ink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the Twelfth Unit's accountant, only two things are certain: death and paperwork.</p><p>Ace just really hopes that the former isn't caused by the latter, and in the middle of all of it he can find the time to finish his novel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unfinished Business

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chardes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chardes/gifts).



Ace knocked briskly on the door, schooling his face to hide his pleasure when there was no answer. Keeping his expression one of Very Serious Business, he shifted the sheaf of papers tucked under one arm, knocked again. Only once he was sure it was empty did he enter.

The office half of Geddoe’s suite smelled of furniture polish and dust and old books, and just a bit of oil and metal and damp leather from the Captain’s gear. _The smell of Success_ , Ace thought with satisfaction, and placed his papers on the large, serious-looking desk on the far end of the room.

Ace surveyed the scarred wood surface, nodding to himself as he took a seat in the creaking chair. Generations of lords had worked here, resting their bums on the very same, and now-threadbare, cushion of the chair as they oversaw the business of the castle. Surely their wisdom echoing through the ages would… okay, bad comparison, the castle had been run into the ground by poor management. But still. Surely in such an atmosphere he could find Inspiration and pen the very best chapter yet of his novel!

Although first there was the pesky matter of SFDF reports to write….

Better get everything set up, then. 

It was a rare treat to use a proper desk, rather than having to lay everything out on the floor of his room at the inn, or worse, the ground where they made camp. At the top, arranged in separate files, he laid out the blank and half-written forms. The stack of expense reports — slightly dog-eared and one for each member of the team, went to his right. At his left hand he placed the stack of fresh paper, along with an ink bottle and his favorite pen, and then after a moment’s hesitation, a blank slate and a few stubby pieces of chalk.

Ace looked at it all spread out before him, the desk half covered with tidy piles of Work To Do, and grimaced. Maybe he didn’t need to _finish_ his paperwork before starting the next chapter, maybe he just could… sort of… get started, do enough that if anyone walked they wouldn’t be suspicious. He reached for the stack of partially-completed forms. The top sheet was an itemized expenses list, all eye-smartingly narrow rows of quantities and cost per item (some of which he still needed to look up in the SFDF Standardized Costs List), and then the final column for running totals. 

When he’d last left Erk, his hero and the lovely Marine were in grave peril, about to be skewered by a needle trap. Surely it couldn’t hurt to _start_ the chapter…

He reached for his pen.

It was a nice instrument, really, and he always liked to take a moment to appreciate it when he sat down to write a new chapter. Joker had jeered at him for spending 200 potch on a _pen_ , when you could spend a minute with a knife and a feather and have one for free. He’d jeered even more when Ace tried to explain the clever bladder mechanism that allowed the pen to fill itself from a bottle -- well, you had to twist the pen and then push down on the little half-moon, and then slowly let up on the pressure, so it wasn’t like it filled by magic. But the point was, it was a lot less messy than dipping into a bottle of ink and worrying about drips and spilling! 

Joker had remained unmoved by the fact that you could even use it when you were travelling by rattling wagon (which Ace had) or on horseback (which Ace hadn’t tried yet, but planned to as soon as he learned how to ride).

And the paper here at Budehuc! Smooth and nearly white, he could write without the pen making awful scratching sounds. The ink didn’t feather, either. Best of all, it was free.

He was still caught in happy contemplation of stationery when a faint knock at the door timidly reached his ears.

“I’m coming,” he called, and with a sigh pushed back from the table.

The worried face on the other side of the door belonged to Thomas. 

“Yes?” Ace asked testily, and immediately felt bad as the young man drooped. Somehow it was hard to stay annoyed at the young master of the castle. “Sorry, what’s up?”

“I was looking for Sir Geddoe,” the youth said politely. “Is he available?”

 _They’re technically the kid’s rooms, but he knocks and ‘sir’s the captain_ , Ace thought in amazement. “Sorry, I haven’t seen him. Try the tavern?” Not that he expected Geddoe would be there, but Joker and Queen probably would be. Queen had been keeping pretty close tabs on the boss ever since he picked up that True Rune…. well, they all had, really, but— 

“Thank you. I’m so sorry to disturb your work.” Thomas inclined his head politely and left.

Ace waited a moment, listening at the fading footfalls move down the hall. Only when they were faded did he return to his desk.

Now, where was he? Right. Needle trap. In his mind’s eye he could see the sharp points, glinting with deadly promise, barely visible by the harsh light of Erk’s lantern. There would be the faintest of clicks as Erk and Marine stepped on the wrong tile, and then the air would be pierced by a thousand flying, silver splinters…

 _Needles came out of the wall,_ he wrote. Then looked back over it. As an opening for the chapter, it seemed to lack something….

 _Many needles came out of the wall,_ ” he amended. Yes, much better. Now, what would a brave and hardened adventurer like Erk say… _”Damn you needles!”_

The door opened abruptly without so much as a knock. Ace nearly jumped out of his seat and had to frantically rearrange papers to hide the page in front of him without even waiting for the ink to dry. 

“Caught you napping, eh?” Queen asked, strolling into the room. A dark bottle dangled from one hand. Aila entered behind her, halting in the doorway and glancing around the room.

Ignoring the girl’s hesitance, Queen flung herself into a free chair. She left one arm dangling over the arm of the chair; the other raised a bottle in a mock salute. “Cheers.”

“Jacques isn’t here,” Ace told the Karayan girl, then leveled a glare at Queen. “Why can’t you drink at Ann’s tavern like a normal person?”

“Present company’s better. Which tells you just how bad it was,” Queen replied, and tipped the bottle to her lips.

Ace pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Normally Queen and Elaine’s mutual hostility was highly entertaining… but right now he just wanted Queen to go away. 

Aila was still there, too. Ace frowned at her. “What? I said Jacques isn’t here.”

“I know. Can I come in?”

“No,” Ace told her impatiently. “Go away. Both of you.”

“Yes,” Queen said. “The more the merrier! And these are the Captain’s rooms anyway. Not yours, Ace.” She smirked.

Ace huffed at her. “I’m busy! Look, I’m writing up our expense reports and things!” He held up his slate as proof.

Queen took another sip from her bottle. “Busy napping. We’ll keep you honest.”

Aila had been watching, her head swivelling back and forth between the two of them. Finally she strode into the room and took a seat on the ground, along the wall of books.

“Look, kid, I’m working,” Ace told her.

Aila was already sorting through the arrows in her quiver and didn’t even look up. “Me, too. I’ve got arrows to refletch.” She made two neat piles, then rummaged at her belt for something.

Ace sighed loudly, shot another glare at Queen for good measure, and returned to his papers. Now, where had he been, before he’d set things aside to — er, been Struck by Inspiration…

He was in the middle of a long computation on his slate when Queen’s voice said, near his shoulder, “Expense reports?”

He jumped again, then glared at she chuckled. “Don’t _do_ that. And yes. Expense reports. I’m tallying up all the food you and Joker stuff your ugly faces with.”

Queen snorted and tapped the page. “Add another five to the bread total.”

“What, already?” Ace scowled up at her in annoyance. “It’s not even noon!” _And I don’t get to have any._

“You’re just jealous because you have to stay sober to do the paperwork.” Queen had no right to be so smug just because she was _correct_.

“Wait, how do you get drunk on bread?” Aila asked. 

There was an awkward silence as Ace and Queen traded glances.

Finally Ace cleared his throat. “It’s beer, kid.” 

Aila’s brow knit in confusion. “You said it was bread.”

“Well….” Ace coughed. “It’s made from grain.”

“Yeast, too,” Queen added. “It’s liquid bread.” 

Aila frowned, then shrugged and turned her attention back to the arrow in her hands. 

Queen, damn her, was still hovering over his shoulder reading his paperwork. “What’s this one? ‘Consultations with local experts?’ That’s new.”

“Piccolo’s fortunes,” Ace translated. “And Joker paid that nosy kid to look into some of the Zexen Knights.” And he’d paid the kid so no one could look into _him_. Not that he was telling Queen that, because she’d just out-bid him. “Look, do you _mind_?” 

Queen ignored this. “Where’re you listing Aila’s expenses?”

“Native guide,” he replied testily. “We’re paying her in clothes and soda. Look.” He tapped the line he’d already written on paper.

“That doesn’t cover the rest of her gear.” Queen jerked her head towards where the girl was carefully cutting away a damaged fletching from an arrow. “And soda’s cheaper than beer.”

“I know what I’m doing,” Ace replied testily. “See, I’ve got her arrow count right here. I was going to fold it in under Jacques’ bolts. Unless she was out hunting while you and Joker were drinking breakfast,” he added sarcastically.

Queen cuffed his head. “We didn’t start until almost lunchtime. Don’t crossbow bolts cost more than arrows?” She was amused, not critical.

Ace smirked. “I told you I knew what I was doing.”

“Wait, you’re lying to get more money from Fire Bringer?” Aila surged to her feet, there arrow she’d been working on fisted in one hand, knife still held in the other. “That’s not right!”

“Whoa!” Ace tried to scoot his chair back, but Queen was in his way. He had to settle for raising his hand, open-palmed in a warding gesture. “Calm down! We’re not lying! Just… embroidering the truth a little. Everyone does it, those skinflints at payroll never give you what you ask for anyway, so you pad the bill a little to make sure you at least get what you’re owed. C’mon, Queen, back me up.” He added the last as a hiss out of the corner of his mouth.

“We’re lying to get more money from Harmonia, not Fire Bringer,” Queen said, amusement lurking under her affected seriousness. “And like Ace says, it’s a common practice — even Duke’s group does it. It’s petty cash from Harmonia’s point of view — a small amount that’s not worth bothering over, and part of the expected cost of doing business with money-grubbing mercenaries like us.”

“It’s still lying for money!” the girl spat back. “And you’re using _me_ as an excuse! And - hey! Aren’t we _fighting_ Harmonia?” She scowled suspiciously. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Yeah, so that means it’s a good thing to take their money, right?” Ace said in what he thought was a soothing voice.

Aila would not be soothed “It’s bloody money!” she spat. “How can you take their money when they’re so… so evil! They murder people and enslave people and… and no one will even _say_ what happened at Safir!”

Ace and Queen traded looks. things were much less

“And you!” Aila pointed an accusatory finger at Queen. It didn’t help that she held her knife in that hand. “You said Harmonia destroyed your home, Sanady! How can you take money from them? How can any of you?” 

“Aila.” There was no humor in Queen’s voice now; it was flat and serious, like when she and Joker had explained slavery to Aila back at Le Buque. “Harmonia is going to hire mercenaries for the Southern Frontier Defense Force whether we work for them or not.”

“But-”

“Sometimes they will order those mercenaries to do things that absolutely shouldn’t be allowed to happen. At least if it’s us, we can-” Queen glanced at Ace, “-creatively interpret those orders.”

Aila’s shoulders slumped. “But they’re still _evil_ ,” she said, a little helplessly. Her rage had drained out. 

“So we take their money, and try to get extra, so they have less to be evil with,” Ace said, trying to bury his exasperation. “And we aren’t evil when they tell us to be. And hey, we all need to make a living somehow.”

“Oh.” Aila bit her lip. 

“We’re not claiming to be paragons of virtue,” Queen said gently. “We’re just women and men who have to live in the world.”

The silence stretched out, until Ace got tired of it and shifted in his chair. “Well. If I’m not getting stabbed, I’d like to finish these reports.” And work on my novel…

“Stab? Oh.” Aila looked at her knife like she hadn’t realized it was out, and sheathed it. “Sorry. Um.” She shifted uneasily, looking away from both of them. “I’m going to go take a walk. The wind’ll clear my head.”

Queen took her seat once more as the Karayan girl gathered her arrows and the small pile of feathers she’d been using for fletchings. 

“Say hi to Jacques for us,” Ace called as Aila left the room.

“I’m going for a _walk_ ,” Aila called back, and the door closed forcefully.

Alone, Ace found himself looking at Queen.

“After all that I need a drink,” she said, and took a long pull from her bottle. “Whew.”

“Me too. Right after I get this finished,” Ace said, and sighed. “Which won’t be for hours and hours…”

“Stop whining, you know you love your job,” Queen said pitilessly, then hummed to herself. “So. We’re getting paid by Harmonia. How does that even work? On paper, I mean.”

Ace opened a hand, palm up. “Ah, well, we’re infiltrating the Grassland-Zexen alliance, see. I’ve written up reports on troop movements, equipment, all that good stuff…” He shrugged dramatically. “It’s such a shame that getting that information all the way to Caleria means it will be obsolete.”

“Heh.” Queen took another long pull from her bottle. “But the Captain’s the _Flame Champion_. How’re you explaining that away?” 

“Well, we’ve got people at the very highest levels,” Ace said with a smirk. 


End file.
